On July 4th, after another mass shooting occurred in Highland
Park, IL during a parade, the role of the shooter’s parents is being
questioned.
As mass shootings are occurring more frequently, millions of
American parents are afraid of their children becoming a victim of
another shooting. But some are also worrying about themselves
becoming the parent of a criminal.
Most of the gunmen had already shown signals of unusual
behaviors, but oftentimes these signals were neglected. “Some 80
percent of gunmen in mass shootings show a marked change in
behavior before they attack, such as depression, isolation or quitting
school or work,” said Jillian Peterson, a co-founder of the Violence
Project, a national database of mass shootings.
Some parents had noticed their child’s anomalies and sought help
from mental health professionals, but it did not prevent their child
from creating a tragedy for others and themselves. Most of the time,
parents did not alert the authorities before the attack, researchers say,
and they can face accusations for ignoring warning signs and even
indirectly helping the conduct of the shooting.
“It’s terrifying enough to think you might be the victim of some
random piece of violence,” said Andrew Solomon, an author who
interviewed parents of the gunmen who attacked Columbine High
School and Sandy Hook Elementary. “But to think you might be
called out for not knowing that your child had caused this, is also a
terrible fate.”
The parents of the accused gunman of Highland Park shooting have
come under investigation of the attack.
The father of the gunman told ABC News that he is not culpable in
the Independence Day attack. “I had no — not an inkling, warning —
that this was going to happen,” Bobby Crimo Jr. said regarding his
son’s attack. “I am just shocked.”
However, Crimo claimed that he helped his son acquire the firearms
that killed seven individuals and injured dozens of the others.
“I filled out the consent form to allow my son to go through the
process that the Illinois State Police have in place for an individual
to obtain a FOID card,” Crimo said. “They do background checks.
Whatever that entails, I’m not exactly sure. And either you’re
approved or denied, and he was approved.”
“This isn’t Bobby,” Crimo said of his son’s actions. “I guess that’s
why it’s so hard to wrap yourself around it. It doesn’t add up.”
Sources:
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/10/us/highland-park-shootingparents.html
https://abcnews.go.com/US/highland-park-parade-shooters-fatherculpable-sons-attack/story?id=86355888
Park, IL during a parade, the role of the shooter’s parents is being
questioned.
As mass shootings are occurring more frequently, millions of
American parents are afraid of their children becoming a victim of
another shooting. But some are also worrying about themselves
becoming the parent of a criminal.
Most of the gunmen had already shown signals of unusual
behaviors, but oftentimes these signals were neglected. “Some 80
percent of gunmen in mass shootings show a marked change in
behavior before they attack, such as depression, isolation or quitting
school or work,” said Jillian Peterson, a co-founder of the Violence
Project, a national database of mass shootings.
Some parents had noticed their child’s anomalies and sought help
from mental health professionals, but it did not prevent their child
from creating a tragedy for others and themselves. Most of the time,
parents did not alert the authorities before the attack, researchers say,
and they can face accusations for ignoring warning signs and even
indirectly helping the conduct of the shooting.
“It’s terrifying enough to think you might be the victim of some
random piece of violence,” said Andrew Solomon, an author who
interviewed parents of the gunmen who attacked Columbine High
School and Sandy Hook Elementary. “But to think you might be
called out for not knowing that your child had caused this, is also a
terrible fate.”
The parents of the accused gunman of Highland Park shooting have
come under investigation of the attack.
The father of the gunman told ABC News that he is not culpable in
the Independence Day attack. “I had no — not an inkling, warning —
that this was going to happen,” Bobby Crimo Jr. said regarding his
son’s attack. “I am just shocked.”
However, Crimo claimed that he helped his son acquire the firearms
that killed seven individuals and injured dozens of the others.
“I filled out the consent form to allow my son to go through the
process that the Illinois State Police have in place for an individual
to obtain a FOID card,” Crimo said. “They do background checks.
Whatever that entails, I’m not exactly sure. And either you’re
approved or denied, and he was approved.”
“This isn’t Bobby,” Crimo said of his son’s actions. “I guess that’s
why it’s so hard to wrap yourself around it. It doesn’t add up.”
Sources:
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/10/us/highland-park-shootingparents.html
https://abcnews.go.com/US/highland-park-parade-shooters-fatherculpable-sons-attack/story?id=86355888
